Quincy Amarikwa made the most of his reserve time Saturday. Here he celebrates his highlight goal during second half against the Crew.

The first Rapids player-ratings of the season come care of Kevin Villegas[1], a Denver native who has been following the Rapids since their inaugural season, plays midfield himself and works as a producer for a local advertising agency.

Nothing came easy for the 2011 Colorado Rapids.

But after a decidedly tumultuous offseason fueled by coaching changes, front office replacements and personnel moves, last year is in the rear view mirror. The Rapids kicked off the new season against the Columbus Crew at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday with a new look offense and a bevy of new players.

How good was the Rapids performance in the first game of 2012? The Rapids put 17 shots to the goal — and the stellar back line of the Rapids allowed only 5 for Columbus.

For all the attacking flair added in the preseason, it was the team’s effort defending that ruled the day. To be sure, the Crew never really looked threatening. The Rapids, however, managed to defend and look dangerous going forward.

Here are the first player ratings on The Terrace for March 10 against the Columbus Crew:

GK Matt Pickens – 6.5
Pickens was mostly untested in the first half, and was only called into action one time on a particularly good shot from Findlay that he touched over the bar. Pickens makes another clean sheet look easy.
LB – Luis Zapata – 6.5
The left back position has been a tough spot to fill for the Rapids for what seems like 100 years. Making his Rapids debut, Zapata showed that he might just be the answer. Calm and patient, Zapata’s quickness was an asset and allowed the Rapids to play a higher line than they might have normally. He just wasn’t involved much.

CB – Drew Moor – 8
Moor is in the right place at the right time on set piece after set piece, and on clearance after clearance. He’s a fan favorite and it’s easy to see why – Moor’s effort can’t be questioned. Look up ‘man’ in the dictionary, and you’ll find a picture of Drew Moor.

CB – Marvell Wynne – 7
Marvell is nearly always the fastest player on the pitch, and he flies around with what can sometimes be referred to as reckless abandon. Picked up a yellow in the second half, but other than that had a solid game defending.

RB – Kosuke Kimura – 7.5
Kimura has consistently added weapons to his arsenal. Last year it was adding deadly crosses (a skill that he showed off valiantly on his assist to Moor). This year, it appears that Kimura’s new weapon includes taking on players closer to the box. He was dangerous overlapping on the right and precise with his clearances.

CM – Jeff Larentowicz – 6.5
The Ginger Ninja cleans up the midfield garbage like it’s going out of style. He plays best when he’s got someone to hook up with, and you know that he was probably the happiest person in Denver to see Pablo recover from his string of injuries at the end of last season. Larentowicz sometimes needs to take a little more care with his passes, and focus a little more on being technical over strong.

CM – Pablo Mastroeni – 6
Pablo still looks like he’s shaking off a little rust, and it’s no big secret that he’s not as fast as he used to be. He’s still the general, bleeds burgundy and is the most competitive guy you’re ever likely to meet. The question going forward is he a 60 minute guy, or a 75 minute guy?

RM – Tony Cascio – 5.5
His first game as a professional, and he looked a little bit overwhelmed at times, missing open teammates and giving the ball away cheaply a few times. He passed up a shot on goal in the box and promptly lost the ball. But Cascio’s potential can’t be overstated. He’s one of the best young players Colorado has seen in a long time, and as Grant Wahl says, a potential ROTY candidate.

CAM – Jaime Castrillon – 7
Another Rapids debut. It’s going to take awhile before everyone is on the same page, but it is clear that the addition of Castrillon brings a creative edge this team lacked last year. Missed on a few passes but otherwise, was dangerous going forward and tried to get his teammates involved.

LM – Brian Mullan – 6.5
Disappeared a bit among the other midfielders. It might take him a while to round into form, but when the veteran needs to close someone down or provide cover for his teammates, he’s always there.

ST – Omar Cummings – 7.5
Cummings looked lost with Conor Casey out last year. But Omar’s first game of the year was a positive one. He made runs and generally looked like he wanted to find the back of the net to start his campaign. The real question: Is this signaling a return to form for Omar, or is it a blip until Casey returns?

SUB – Quincy Amarikwa – 7
His 20 minutes of work included a screamer of a goal to seal the deal. Amarikwa is a goal-scoring opportunist, and should see increased work this year.